Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opens in Los Angeles with Star Wars Props and 90% Art Collection

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opened in Los Angeles with a billion-dollar building designed by Ma Yansong of Mad Architects. A life-size chrome Naboo N-1 Starfighter greets visitors in the lobby, but over 90% of the displayed material comes from George Lucas's art collection, not Star Wars. The museum coined "narrative art" for works heavy on storytelling, including pieces by N.C. Wyeth and Frank Frazetta. Highlights include a gallery of Star Wars artefacts, a mural section with Banksy, JR, and Judy Baca's 1980s sketches for The Great Wall of Los Angeles, and children's book illustrations by Maurice Sendak, E.H. Shepard, and Arnold Lobel. A ground-floor survey replicates works the museum doesn't own, such as Altamira cave paintings and Sistine Chapel reproductions. The building features a figure-eight shape, parabolic walls, and a hilly parkland by landscape architect Mia Lehrer. The fifth-floor exhibition space is vast, with thematic galleries and single-artist rooms for Norman Rockwell and Thomas Hart Benton. A Rockwell section pairs his 1958 painting with Richard Williams's 2014 reinterpretation, and includes a loan of Rockwell's 1964 Ruby Bridges painting. A bronze replica of Rockwell's Triple Self-Portrait, commissioned last year, is displayed. Critics like Sam Lubell called the building "bold" and "contradictory," while Matt Stromberg noted the thematic arrangement lacks cultural context. Tickets are $25. The museum is located at One Lucas Plaza in Exposition Park.